Friday, December 30, 2005

I Promised You . . . (Part 2)

As I said, looking back to when our relationship began reminds me of the love relationship that developed between Sandy and me. In a sense we met by chance, it wasn’t planned. In reality, God brought us together. We started dating and I was smitten; I believe we were smitten with each other.

Three years ago I told you about God’s calling on my life, and you believed I was committed to God’s call. Representatives of the church shared Morningside’s hopes with me, and we believed God had a plan for our lives. Together.

You committed to me, and I, to you. The adventure began.

We have had some pretty significant hurdles to jump. Our backgrounds are very different. As a congregation you reflect the beauty of Southern culture. Conversely, it doesn’t take a Harvard graduate to figure out that I’m not from around here. The ideal church life we picture is not always the same. Our relationship has grown in spite of those hurdles.

We both dream dreams, but not always the same dream. Some of those dreams we have continued to pursue, though they remain elusive. Others, we have learned were not really God’s plan for us. Or they were selfishly motivated and we abandoned them. I believe maturity is teaching us that God is still developing our character to compliment each other and prepare us for assignments, yet future.

More than three years later we are still together. Still growing. Still sifting through our dreams and desires. Still in love. Still making adjustments to one another. Three years later there are some dings in the armor, but you still dazzle me.

Our journey together started on a spiritual foundation. That was all we had, we hardly knew each other. We were seeking the deepest romance possible. Do you remember what we were looking for? We started out together seeking a, “Fresh Encounter: Experiencing God through Prayer, Humility and a heartfelt Desire to know Him.” Our common ground was the desire to see God bring revival. Looking backwards or forwards, I believe we need to keep that lofty goal in sight. We need to continue our journey together, remembering the vow that united us.